1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information display apparatus, an image taking apparatus, and a method and computer program for controlling displaying information, and more particularly, to an information display apparatus, an image taking apparatus, and a method and computer program for controlling displaying information, in an apparatus such as a camera having a display, capable of controlling the timing of switching information displayed on the display depending on convenience of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image taking apparatus such as a digital still/video camera or in an information processing apparatus having a display, various processes are performed to display information on a display.
In some information processing apparatus such as a digital still camera having various input devices, a description of how to use input devices or a description of how the input devices function is displayed on the display as required. Specific examples of techniques to control displaying information may be found, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-330181, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-319226, or Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-173029.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-330181, when a particular input device is operated by a user, a function of the input device is displayed on a display. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-319226, when a help button is pressed, information indicating an operation performed previously and a related description are displayed. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-173029, disclosed is a digital camera having an instruction mode in which various descriptions are provided.
However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-330181 and the technique disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-319226, the description of the function of the input device is displayed only for a fixed period after the input device is operated by a user. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-173029, the description of the function of the input device is displayed only when the operation mode is set in the instruction mode.